The Tradition of Meat Dishes in Jamaican Cuisine

Jamaican cuisine is all about the flavor of the sea. Any authentic Jamaican restaurant will be serving you an   experience, not just meat. Chicken makes a big part of the Jamaican cuisine, and the Caribbean people love  chicken in many ways. Also, they use mutton, fish, shrimp and lobster, and oxtail meat in their food. Let’s see what varieties of dishes Jamaicans love to cook and serve.

-Ackee and Starfish is the national dish as it stands for all things Jamaican! The dried and salted codfish is prepared with the local fruit of Jamaica, Ackee, and it is all served with fried dumplings, cassava bread called Bammy and roasted breadfruit. This is a hugely popular dish which has cod fish meat.

-Jerk chicken is an immensely popular jerk meat dish, which the Jamaicans take pride in! It has travelled far and wide, impressing everyone with its moisture and flavors. One can even get a good Jamaican Jerk Chicken in Maryland now. All the authentic flavors and cooking styles are preserved.

-Curry Chicken comes across as a more Indian style chicken curry, which can be enjoyed with an assortment of Jamaican bread. The chicken is stewed in tomato-onion based gravy and then cooked to tenderness.

-Oxtail is typically Jamaican meat which contains meat from tails of cattle (real), and this dish includes Oxtail with beans. The Jamaican cuisine is incomplete without this meat.

-Curry Goat is a mutton curry, again influenced by the Indian subcontinent style of cooking mutton. The curry is spicy and full of flavors, which can be enjoyed with a rather bland tasting bread assortment, mainly roti, which is again an Indian bread.  The influence of the Indian style of cooking came to Jamaica with all the Indians coming over in the British imperialism era to work in the sugarcane industry. They brought their cuisine with them, which amalgamated with the local styles.

-Jerk Salmon is a jerked fish dish, which is again a staple for Jamaican cuisine. It is a spicy, glazed salmon, which is moist and full of flavor!

-A few other seafood dishes like shrimp and other fish are also common in the Jamaican cuisine, as it is an island, and it is obvious it will have a variety of seafood staples dishes. 

The Jamaican cuisine is so varied because of the variety of people who have come to the island and made it their home. The slow overlap of each other’s cooking and eating styles gave rise to the modern-day cuisine where is it tough to find out which portion of the recipe came from where. But the one thing that binds everything together is the amazing use of locally grown food, and food, which is abundantly available with ease. This makes the culture richer and more relatable. You can get good Jamaican food around you as well. There is a Jamaican restaurant in Maryland, which sells authentic food with all the food culture as if straight from Jamaica!

9 Delectable Dishes to Try in Caribbean Cuisine

The Caribbean is a dream holiday destination with its azure seas, sandy beaches, balmy weather, and lively culture. With distinctive textures, smells, flavors, and colors, Caribbean cuisine is rich and delicious.

The fusion of seasonings, herbs, and spices apart from a range of ingredients grown on the islands, serve as filling and scrumptious treats. The following are the tastiest dishes of the Caribbean:

Jerk

It is the signature flavor of Jamaica and one of the most famous dishes of the Caribbean; they are available as far as restaurants of Caribbean food Maryland, USA. It refers to a very spicy wet or dry rub applied to chicken or other meat. The rub consists of fiery peppers and spices like pimentos, nutmeg, and scotch bonnets. It is then barbecued or roasted for succulent texture and intense flavor.

Patties

Savory patties which melt in the mouth and are wrapped around fillings that range from chicken to beef; they always deliver flavors which satisfy the palate. Ingredients and flavors range from patty to patty and filling options include vegetarian like potato and non-vegetarian like pork.

Seafood

With all the water all around, seafood, either swimming or in shell, is a Caribbean favorite. Flying fish are tender and firm whitefish, best served grilled. Grouper, a bigger fish, makes for excellent steaks and stews. Numerous dishes featuring shellfish are also served in beachfront bars.

Ackee and Saltfish

Ackee is a yellow colored, soft and sweet fruit and is combined with the salty taste of cod-fish; saltfish and ackee is a delicious dish commonly consumed in Jamaica. With carefully chosen spices and seasonings, pepper and onions, this morning dish is filling and wholesome.

Roast Pork

Very common in the islands, particularly those with a strong Spanish heritage like Cuba and the Dominican Republic, roast pork is often served with regional staples like beans and rice as well as plantains. Juicy and succulent, pork drippings endow this dish with rich flavor. In roadside stands across Puerto Rico, they serve the popular Lechon Asado, which is suckling pig that is spit-roasted.

Pepper Pot

Cooked in huge pots all around the Caribbean, this rich and thick stew may contain okra, aubergines, potatoes, squash and pretty much everything which grows in the fertile soil of the islands. Beef is the most common meat ingredient, while fungi or cornmeal dumplings add the texture.

Rice and Peas

This dish consists of fluffy rice often boiled with sweet coconut milk for added taste and soft red beans which add to texture.  This dish is a vital part of Caribbean cuisine. Every dish varies from restaurant to restaurant and home to home and is a popular side dish to seafood, pork, and chicken items.

Curry Goat

This is a dish that has roots in Asia and is popular in the Caribbean. It is an absolute delicacy with the succulent texture and big flavors when cooked right. It consists of slow-cooked goat meat with seasonings and spices and served piping hot along usually with rice and peas.

Saltfish Fritters

Round savory or small morsels of fishcakes, which are packed with flavor, these fritters are the perfect pre-dinner snack or appetizer. The fish is mixed with peppers, herbs and flour and shaped into round, bite-sized shapes. These are then fried in oil, making the texture flaky and soft inside and crispy on the outside.

These are some of the top dishes in Caribbean cuisine and are available in restaurants as far as Caribbean food Maryland. You will find everything delicious and exotic.